New Holland Existential: Hopwine | New Holland Brewing Company

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S - This is the old one! Very malty, but a nice hop presence like an American barleywine, so I'm going to consider it more on the "wine" part than the "hop" part. caramel and toffee malts, and some light piney hops.

T - Malt forward for sure, nice caramel and toffee profile, a touch of chocolate even. A very light hop bitterness at the end. Not as hoppy as I'd hoped, but it's actually quite subtle and complex. Definitely more along the lines of the "wine" thing.

M - Quite smooth, medium-full body. Not bad, but perhaps a touch thin. For a DIPA, it'd be fine, but for a Barleywine, it's a bit thin.

O - This is a 4-year old DIPA that is tasting like a pretty good barleywine. It's kind of impressive. I just wish it were hoppier! But what can you expect.

Pours a somewhat cloudy/murky brownish-red color. Not a lot of head retention here, though this would be due to the growler, also.

In the aroma are tart cherries, dark honey, ripe citrus, raspberry, wet wood, and hard candy. It is rich, almost syrupy in the aroma. On the way toward the palate, some big malt characteristics come forward, filled with oats and caramel.

The flavor here is a strong balance between the malty and the hoppy. The initial taste is quite sweet, providing caramel, ginger, brown sugar, molasses, and honey notes. As the beer progresses, it becomes more bitter, though not overly so. The hops are present, but not dominant, allowing a slight hop character to play beneath a fine chorus of toasty malt flavors.

Overall, this beer is rich, dense, and packs quite a punch. It has some interesting characteristics, and gives a refreshing and unique take on the "barleywine" style, calling it "hopwine." Both the Double IPA big hop character, and the Barleywine malty sweet characteristics are here, and the final product is, well, somewhat similar to the name.

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into an oversized wine glass. Pours a beautiful ruby-amber with minimal bubbly soapy white head. There's a decent amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Smell is intense, yeasty, boozy; like a barleywine gone mad. No real hop presence in the smell.

Taste is smoother than it smells; leather, oak, and leafy tastes start it out; followed by a malty yeastiness simmering in woody alcohol; ending with a faint hop echo toward the back of the mouth. As I drink more, some honey and floral notes also present.

Mouthfeel is thick, almost buttery, with a bit of sharpness.

Drinkable? Well, hard to say. I've got 22 oz to go through, and I kind of wish it was 12, so I guess that answers that.

A: Rather clear copper/orange color. Thin whiteish head that fades quickly. Leaves just a tough of lacing.

S: Smells sweet and hot. Not at all what I expect from a DIPA. I'm picking up all kinds of alcohol and heavy malts, no hops to speak of.

T: Very sweet up front. Starts like an English Barleywine. Finish is a distinct floral heat with a touch of spice. Unique, but not in a good way. It seems like New Holland was attempting a style bender with this brew, but ultimately it's a mess. Aftertaste is slightly bitter with a lingering burn.

M: Very heavy with light carbonation. This might be the heaviest beer I've ever had, which does work to its favor.

D: The floral/spice aftertaste is rather tiresome. I love breweries that push the style envelope, and this beer appears to be a cross between a DIPA and an English Barleywine. Ultimately, the flavors clash and the hoppiness, if there ever was any, is lost in the crossfire.

A-Midnight black rising carbonated body with a country off white head that held 3/4".
S-Sweet, toasted malts, tad bit of yeast, and fruity.
T-On the draw it was very sweet with slight hop tingle and on the way down it was heavy in the alcohol esters, but yet very smooth.
M-Like syrup initially followed by a dry and hop-laden after-taste.
D- It is extremely drinkable and I am sorry to say that I wasn't at the pub for their stout marinated burger, but it was purchased for me and I love it.

Thanks to AltBock, this is one of his many generous gifts before being re-stationed in Okinawa.

Pours a hazy, amber/orange with a short, off-white head that has little retention and very slight lacing.
The smell is mostly sweet malt and little else.
The taste is very different from the aroma. The malt is the same but there is a grassy hop flavor and a bitterness that lingers.
Mouthfeel is full but with no carbonation.
Drinkability is not so hot in my estimation, it's definitely not in the East or West coast style for a DIPA. I don't think it's old, but how do you tell if there's no bottled on date?

Thanks to sefus12 for the chance to try this one. Poured out a deep amber, like unfiltered honey, with a fluffy one inch white head that quickly recedes to lacing around the edge of glass. The nose upfront is a hop and malt blend, not like what I expected. It reminds me more of a hoppy barleywine then a DIPA. Whatever it is, I like it. The taste is the same, lots of hops take on a resin quality, well blended with a heavy amount of malt. Sweet and syrupy like honey with a bit of a bite in the finish. Slight alcohol in the finish as well but not enough to be distracting or take away from the beer. Medium body, this beer really coats the mouth and makes it's presence known. Pretty drinkable considering the 10.5% ABV. Hopwine is the perfect name in my opinion. This one seems like it could really hold up well in storage and turn into something interesting.

S Earthy hops with some malt background. Smell is inviting, interesting and more balanced than most barleywines that I have encountered. 4.0

T Big hops presence with a moderate malt presence in a beer with a lot of depth to it. To drink this beer in is to enter into an adventure of taste with earthy bitter hops and warming alcohol with a backdrop of sweet malt. 4.5

M Thick with that great depth that is akin to liquid wheat thins with an earthy, grainy feel. 4.5

D Fair with the huge ABV but repeated sips were easy to do. 3.5

Notes: Really good on tap, especially for the price there at Ballantines.

Eye: Terrible head formation and terrible retention, well there is none. Color is amber hued copper. Nice overall. Clarity on this beer is unbelievable, like none that I've ever seen. I mean it diffuses my sight when looked through but I can pick up minute details of what I'm looking at throgh the glass...simply amazing. This is either a great thing or a bad thing. There is some spotty lacing.

Nose: A burst of hops once the cap has been popped but then it quickly fades. Barley any CO2 escapes once the seal is released. Big on hops in the nose, malt is very strong, from about a foot away this thing smells much more like a barley wine. Hops are floral but have very little grapefruit quality to them. Not sure what to make of this. It smells, to me, more like a barley wine. Malt presence is just too forward for a DIPA, that or there aren't enough hops to hide it. Just a bit off for what I'd consider to be correct for the style.

Tongue: Wow, not what I was expecting. Real herbal and grassy, freshly cut herbs and grass, very green taste. Not at all to my liking. Least that the hops are here are much more prevalent than in the aroma. Alcohol is apparent. Maybe a bit piney too. This is just not an IPA for me. It does nothing and I'm thinking that I'm glad I didn't pay for it. Its not well rounded enough. Too angular, almost like its unfinished, it lacks something. It lacks the balance of a malt backbone. I mean there's alcohol and hops and bitterness, not really any malt to compliment either though. Besides I think that the hops that are here don't blend well with the malt that is there, not to mention they only help to showcase the alcohol and to show off their obnoxious selves. Not one for me.

Feel and Drinkability: Medium-heavy on the palate with fine carbonation that works for the beer but in my opinion should be a tad higher. It would give the impression that this is a lighter beer and therefore increase its drinkability. Its not poorly done, its just something that I really don't care for. Everything works together, though I think the end product could use some work, in the end it works out to being okay. I'll drink the rest of it, but thats about it. I won't be coming back to this one.

(M)- Good carbonation level with ample sugary sweetness with great pineapple. But once again, the sugary sweetness overpowers all the great nuances this beer has to offer.

(D)- Serious sugary sweetness with pineapple and honey. . . . New Holland could be a really great brewery with their High Gravity series, but most, if not all of them are way too sugary sweet; it really ruins what could be superb styles of unique and interesting beers, instead just super sweet/super high abvs.

A - Moderately clear, lightly dusted-with-rust orange amber color with teeny suspended particles. A big bone head pops up and lingers for a decent amount of time before dropping to a creamy layer while leaving thick lacing.

T - Fruity and floral hops combine in a clashing way with a winning pineapple citrus zest and flavor while the pine is light, it's noticeable. A really sweet sugar cloying flavor is in the background with the rich malts that hold it all in place. Really caramelly malt.

M - Smooth and rich with a really clean finish that goes down well and leaves a really bitter but sweet balance to the mouthfeel.

D - The sweetness is killing this beer in the drinkability category but as a DIPA, its pretty good. It's starting to get old quickly. I have a real problem with how much damn sugar New Holland is putting in the High Gravity series.

Very clear deep amber colored brew, small white bubbly head trails a bit of lace. The scent reminds me more of a barelywine than a IIPA at first blush, fairly large malt presence along with some bitter hops and a bit of dark fruit scents. Same barelywine feel for the taste. Huge malt front, some bitter hops but fairly muted compared to the malt. Spicy alcohol is certainly present. Pretty creamy mouth, and the beer sticks to the mouth.

Pours a clear orange/amber, thin off white head forms, drops to a thin ring and drops a few spots on the glass, looks alright. Smell is nice, very fruity, caramel and brown sugar, alcohol, very malty, floral, big malts and big hops, nothing jumps out but very well balanced. Taste is similar, very malty, some biscuit, caramel and brown sugar, toast, very fruity, apricots, alcohol, nice toasty finish, very balanced. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with medium carbonation, bit of warmth going down but the ABV is decently hidden. More of a barleywine than DIPA, and nothing really jumped out, but pretty solid and drinkable stuff.

drinkability is good. the alcohol is hidden very well by the big malt presence and the bitterness. this feels like it's more in barleywine territory than DIPA, but regardless of what you choose to call it, it's still good.

Poured a light brown body with lace patches and a frothy one-fingerh ead. Something akin to grape skin along with faint citric for a juicy hop smell as well as a little caramelized malt sweetness. Smooth, creamy, sweet with good malt base and the ABV complements the beer as it adds a little spice and kick to the leafy, citric hops. Medium-bodied beer that is balanced, albeit slightly sticky, that is easy to drink from sweet hoppy flavors and has a nice dry backbite that is also crisp. Watch out as this can be killed quickly and it catches up with you.

Poured from bottle into tulip glass. Pours light copper with a slowly developing (but rapidly dissipating) white head. Dissapointingly little hop complexity on the nose which is the first hint of an overall theme. The flavor starts with the sweetness of the malt which provides a solid backbone, preparing you for the expected hop balance. Unfortunately, the briefly pleasant pine and caramel combo is rapidly clubbed into submission by a one-note hop bitterness and a level of alcohol that is completely out of balance with its surroundings(this is from someone who loves a good high abv barleywine or imperial stout). While the hops manifest themselves in the bitter aftertaste, I get virtually none of the citrus or floral complexity that I was looking forward to. Overall, this was a big swing-and-a-miss from a brewery that hits its fair share of home runs.